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Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

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Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#131

Post by fnordfnordfnord »

Retric wrote: post #38
apalmer wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are his pharmacology credentials? Anyways far as I can tell his big revelation here is "yeah when i told you i looked at the facts before i really didn't but this time i did!". Makes me take all of his conclusions with a grain of salt. Does seem clear indication that the american mainstream is getting acceptance for the idea of medical ganja though.

It is a little more than that, he is saying that US research has an obvious bias that he was not aware of.

I'm not sure if your post is intended as sarcasm or not. If the bias was obvious, how could he not be aware of it?

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#132

Post by apalmer »

fnordfnordfnord wrote: post #28
dave_sullivan wrote: post #11

Better late than never I guess, but what changed his mind really? "I actually did more research and was shocked, shocked by what I found!" or "I'm making a documentary and the tides of public opinion continue to shift, writing's on the wall, time to change my tune..." Maybe (probably) I'm being overly cynical, but people like him have lent support and legitimacy to a machine that literally destroys people's lives for…

Maybe (to be even more cynical) he has come to the conclusion that the regime of marijuana prohibition is coming to an end (or at least losing public support); and as a TV doctor who needs make headlines and wants to maintain relevance in the future, he has finally taken a critical look at US drug policy and discovered that it was based mostly on sham evidence. It is commendable that he apologizes and admits that he…

Actually the Howard Samuels seemed pretty rational, was all for using marijuana as medicine, and even stated its less harmful than alcohol. He just was pretty clear on the fact that most of the users of marijuana are in it for the high, and that politically medical marijuana is more of a stepping stone for folks interested in recreational use, rather than a deep seeded concern for those who need it medically.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#133

Post by stcredzero »

dragonwriter wrote: post #62
tptacek wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's an article of faith that cannabis is a major contributor to US incarceration, but I think that's a belief worth questioning. I looked into this briefly for a thread a year ago and in the states I researched, domestic violence was far and away the leading cause of incarceration. In many major metro areas, you're more likely to be ticketed for cannabis than arrested. I haven't taken the time to come up with a conc…

> It's an article of faith that cannabis is a major contributor to US incarceration, but I think that's a belief worth questioning. I looked into this briefly for a thread a year ago and in the states I researched, domestic violence was far and away the leading cause of incarceration. Its been a while since I saw figures, but last I did domestic violence was at the top of the reasons people were sentenced to incarcer…

This is worth an article, right there.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#134

Post by mistercow »

tptacek wrote: post #82
mistercow wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The license to prescribe drugs is largely useless as an indicator of pharmacological expertise. We let chiropractors prescribe drugs in this country (Edit: I was mistaken; we don't). The government has no idea what it's doing in its process for deciding who gets that power. I have encountered plenty of doctors who clearly had no idea what they were doing when it came to pharmacology, to the point of prescribing drugs…

This isn't a debate I think is worth having. I'm just saying that there's practically no reason to believe Gupta was an appropriate choice for CNN as an expert in radiological hazards, but there is some reason to believe he should know what he's talking about re medicine.

That's fine. I just feel like there's a dangerous overtrust of doctors among intelligent and educated people, and I hate to see comments that encourage that.

If you're scientifically illiterate and generally uneducated, trusting doctors is a very good idea. If you have the cognitive tools to check their work, though, it is very smart to do so.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#135

Post by new_test »

angersock wrote: post #92
timtadh wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The biggest safety problem with MJ is (as the original article hinted) the tendency in some people (especially teenagers) to increase the probability of them developing psychosis. This is why it is so apples to oranges. Yes, there are carcinogenic problems as well but the main problem is the increased risk of psychosis.

I don't mean to sound like a jerk here, but can you link the relevant studies? We've had over half a century of malicious and premeditated disinformation on the topic of drugs--especially marijuana--and so forgive me if I'm skeptical of a claim which does reek somewhat of "think of the children!".

Just the first few results from Google Scholar.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890856709...

http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/180/3/216.short

http://www.bmj.com/content/325/7374/1195.1.short

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395607...

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#136

Post by MikeCapone »

gregpilling wrote: post #51

I am a medical marijuana user. I have fibromyalgia (a catch all label for constant pain), and it helps some with neuropathic pain. My doctor is kept informed about how much I am using, and I have to get my card renewed each year. MJ works, but at best it dulls the pain, and also helps to make the pain less 'front and center' and instead kind of makes it more something that is in the background. I was never a stoner,…

Have you read Mindbody Prescription by Dr. John E. Sarno?

It's the only thing that could cure my constant RSI/chronic pain after years of trying everything, and in the book he talks about fibromyalgia.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Mindbody-Prescription-Healing-Body...

The idea of psychogenic disorders would have normally have sounded like esoteric BS to me, but I ended up picking up the book at the recommendation of an ex-Google coder who went through all the same things that I did. I'm glad I did; for 15$, I completely cured myself after years of trying everything else (physiotherapy, standing desk, stretching exercises, working out, various books on RSI, ergonomic chairs, keyboards, mouses, trackpads, switching hands, etc, etc), and it turns out the book takes a very scientific approach to these conditions, even if it admits that there's a lot we still don't understand about exactly how our minds work and how they can affect our bodies (it's kind of an engineering approach -- we figured out something that works, now we need to figure out why).

Highly recommended to all those of you suffering from constant back pain, neck pain, RSI, etc.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#137

Post by saalweachter »

apalmer wrote: post #36
tptacek wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not saying it's a good thing the guy was CNN's subject matter expert on camera for radiation safety, just that he's got a legit claim to subject matter expertise regarding pharmacology. CNN is still awful.

What are his pharmacology credentials? Anyways far as I can tell his big revelation here is "yeah when i told you i looked at the facts before i really didn't but this time i did!". Makes me take all of his conclusions with a grain of salt. Does seem clear indication that the american mainstream is getting acceptance for the idea of medical ganja though.

Ehh, it'd be nice if authorities made perfect pronouncements, but they don't, which is why "appeal to authority" is a logical fallacy. You shouldn't be for or against medical marijuana based on what a celebrity says, even if he's a celebrity doctor.

But conversely it's unfair to criticize an authority for being fallible. At least today, at least in this case, Dr Sanjay Gupta is one of the good guys. Not for espousing one opinion or another, but because he's publicly changed his mind after considering more evidence. Maybe he has incomplete evidence, and maybe in the future he'll change his mind three or four ways from more evidence. But he's basing his opinion on evidence and telling you what that evidence is.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#138

Post by Chris2048 »

jgrahamc wrote: post #18
tptacek wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He's a practicing neurosurgeon with published research, but, like half of HN, doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to radiological safety; therefore, his opinions on pharmacology are irrelevant to you? That seems like a surprisingly dumb argument for you, John, but maybe I just misunderstood it. At any rate, the importance of the piece isn't Gupta's authority on the subject. After all, vis a vis cannabi…

He's a practicing neurosurgeon with published research, but, like half of HN, doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to radiologic safety; therefore, his opinions on pharmacology are irrelevant to you? I guess. I guess you are right. I probably should listen to his opinion about this. I just have a hard time with media personalities who are willing to spout crap when they don't know what they are talking…

Being an expert in something doesn't prevent you from talking crap on the subject, you need trust for that.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#139

Post by jetti »

tptacek wrote: post #25
mjfl wrote: post #20

Isn't any effect that marijuana has on patients going to be confounded with the placebo effect? Not that I disagree with what is being said, I still have my doubts about the actual medical usage of marijuana, and the studies that have been done on it.

300 seizures a month -> 3 seizures a month is unlikely to be a placebo affect, but plural of anecdotes and all that, sure. For pain management and quality of life, we probably don't need to worry about the placebo effect too much; instead, we should just measure whether cannabis gets people off opiates.

"we should just measure whether cannabis gets people off opiates."

This is something that could be major. My wife was in the hospital off and on this summer with stomach pains. The doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong (ran all of the tests, put her on liquid diet and the pain continued) so her doctor put her on OxyContin until the HMO approved a referral to a research university. The insurance declined the referral stating they wanted a second opinion, so my wife went to get one and the doctor wanted her to get off all of the medications. She did and almost killed herself the day after; the withdrawal from the OxyContin was terrible. If there was a way to manager her pain without constantly worrying about her becoming addicted or worrying that when she stops the med she will end up doing something drastic, it would be amazing!

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#140

Post by king_jester »

tptacek wrote: post #8
nakedrobot2 wrote: post #4

the headline should read "over-credulous member of establishment is finally swayed by overwhelming evidence to the contrary, although he has to travel to the ends of the earth to be convinced"

Or, "it's not enough that he agrees with me, agrees publicly with me, and apologized for disagreeing with me; the manner in which he arrived at his agreement with me is offensive, so let's make that a topic of conversation."

Does somebody deserve a cookie for doing the right thing and apologizing for using their image in the media to malign those they now agree with? I'm glad he changed his mind, but he doesn't deserve a special thank you and people are right to be bitter about it.
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